


Find a Rooftop to Sing From Or Find a Hallway to Dance

by TheSofterGentlerMe



Series: The Lyrical Anthology [12]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Mild Angst, The Lyrical Anthology, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26126581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSofterGentlerMe/pseuds/TheSofterGentlerMe
Summary: Castaspella and Juliet have moved to Mystacor and are settling down together. Juliet however feels just a bit lost without her old routine and questions just what she is going to do now as she begins a new chapter in her life.
Relationships: Castaliet - Relationship, Castaspella/Juliet (She-Ra)
Series: The Lyrical Anthology [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767634
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Find a Rooftop to Sing From Or Find a Hallway to Dance

**Author's Note:**

> Shall we?

“Juliet, it’s your home now too. Help me decorate it,” Castaspella said as they stood at the door to their suite of rooms in Mystacor. 

Juliet stood looking around the main room, holding Castaspella’s hand and said, “Love, I’ve lived in barracks for most of my life. You saw my room when I moved out. Did it really impress you with the decor?” 

Castaspella looked at Juliet and said, “Well, no, not particularly, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t help now!” 

Juliet stepped behind Castaspella and pulled her close so she could put her head on her shoulder. She put her mouth next to Castaspella’s ear and whispered, “Then I say we take everything out and put in some nice solid metal furniture.” 

Castaspella turned around and gave her a playful push and said with a smile, “Stop it! You know the Bright Moon barracks were nicer than that!” 

Juliet grinned and said, “I’m serious. We can do it all in green metal, maybe hang a banner up. Honestly though, I really don’t have an idea what to do here.” 

Castaspella took her hand again and said, “Then just say the first thing that comes to your mind.” 

Juliet stood there and pointed at a corner by a large window and said, “OK, that’s my writing corner. I want, um, those portable folding screens around it. With something pretty on them.” 

Castaspella squeezed Juliet’s hand and said, “See? Was that so difficult?” 

Juliet winked at her and said, “Yes, it was.”

They walked through the rest of the rooms. They reminded Juliet of Castaspella’s room at Bright Moon but where she hadn’t spent much time in that one, these showed signs of long occupation. Every room was full of comfort and very little in the way of organization. Bookshelves were full of books in no order that Juliet could seem to fathom and tables had various crafts and arts projects in various stages. The only room that was actually tidy was a small office of dark wood with little light. 

“Can I ask why this one is so…,” Juliet said, trying to find the right word.

“Not cluttered?” Castaspella said with a grin. “It’s alright, I can see you being shocked at the place. I do a lot of magic studying here and it helps me concentrate,” Castaspella said. “I also meet with people in my position as head of Mystacor occasionally and it’s fun to throw them off balance after they walk through the rest of the apartment and then get to this.” 

Juliet looked at her and said, “Well aren’t you just full of surprises.” 

“Well, I certainly try, my dear General,” Castaspella said. 

Juliet started thinking though and said with a little hesitation, “You said you practice new magic in here?” 

Castaspella looked at her and said, “Yes, I do.” 

Juliet remembered a long ride towards uncertainty after Castaspella and the others had used new magic to open a portal and almost disappeared forever in the process. 

“Is it… is it safe?” Juliet asked. 

Castaspella squeezed her hand and said, “Well before certain recent events I’d say of course and then I’d promise you that nothing bad would happen but you taught me better than to say that. I’ll simply say it’s as safe as I can make it and I don’t practice anything really dangerous in here.” 

Juliet nodded. What else could she say? Up until recently her job had consisted of occasionally doing dangerous things herself and it would be ludicrous to expect Castaspella to stop doing the same just because Juliet had retired from that work to be a liaison for Bright Moon to Mystacor. 

Juliet said, “Well, I guess that’s all I can ask of you.”

Castaspella smiled at her and said, “Hey, you can ask plenty of me, sweetheart.”

“Well then right now I’m going to ask for two things,” Juliet said as she pulled her in close. 

Castaspella was suddenly very attentive as she said, “Well, I’d like to hear them.” 

“One,” Juliet whispered. “I’d like a kiss, my dear Cassa.”

“And two?” Castaspella whispered back.

Juliet leaned her back and whispered into her ear, “I really want… lunch.”

Castaspella broke out into laughter and gave Juliet a kiss. 

“Well there’s your one,” she said with a grin. “I’ll see what we have for your second request.” 

“It’s alright, I’ll do it. I just needed a good line for the second request. You do your work, I’ll make us something,” Juliet said as they walked out of the office. 

“Juliet, dear, I love you but can you cook?” Castaspella said. 

“Of course I can,” Juliet said. “And I plan to do a lot of it because let’s be honest, I’m fully aware that my position as liaison is Queen Glimmer’s way of not having to put you in a position where you have to decide between me and your position. So far the only thing she’s said is that she expects a weekly short report on relations between Mystacor and Bright Moon.”

“Just send her a blank page with the word, ‘Excellent’ on it and your signature,” Castaspella said with a smirk. 

“I most certainly will not,” Juliet said, just a little offended. “I plan to take this position seriously and will send concise, full reports.” 

Castaspella squeezed Juliet’s hand and said, “I’d say I wasn’t serious but I absolutely was and I should have known that my lovely General Juliet, attentive to every detail and steadfast in her duty, would never shirk that duty.” 

Juliet squeezed her hand back and said, “Well it’s very important. What would happen if the Queen decided that I wasn’t doing my job to her satisfaction and replaced me?” 

“Well then I assume you would retire here to be taken care of by your doting girlfriend. Also, Glimmer would have a very irritated aunt drop in for a conversation,” Castaspella said.

Juliet looked a little concerned and said, “I know she’s your niece but please don’t do that.” 

Castaspella looked at her with a smile and said, “Hypothetically give Glimmer a piece of my mind over your hypothetical dismissal?” 

“Yes, that,” Juliet said with a grimace. 

“Well if the day ever comes then, I shall not say a word about it to her and I shall instead hire you to liaise with the liaison she puts in your place instead. Then you can continue on with the same duties and just send them through another layer,” Castaspella said with a little wave of her hand. 

Juliet tried to look serious but a little chuckle escaped her and said, “In that case I may have to retire anyway because I couldn’t work for my boss and date her as well. It’s already odd enough for me with the current situation.” 

“I know! How shall we ever cope?” Castaspella said with a little waggle of her eyebrows. 

“I don’t know but I shall strive to be steadfast,” Juliet said with mock solemnity. “Now, you, to work, me, to make lunch.” 

Over the next few days, Juliet wasn’t quite sure what to do. Castaspella encouraged her to redo the rooms if she wanted or to use any of the various supplies for hobbies she had laying around the place. Juliet decided that she’d get her little corner set up. 

She moved out everything that was there and put a simple desk and chair in a place where she could easily look out the window at the clouds gently lapping at the beach. She found some screens made out of intricately carved wood and put them around the desk to create a barrier from the rest of the room and give her a sense of privacy. She set up her books of poetry on a shelf behind her with her old guard helmet getting pride of place on the center shelf between them. 

Finally she sat at her desk and felt just a bit lost on what to do next. She’d spent her adult life serving in the guard corps of Bright Moon and now without the regimentation of reports, watches, and the like she wasn’t sure what to do. Juliet spun around in the chair a little trying to think of something to fill her time and finally decided on writing her liaison report. She found a piece of paper and started trying to write it out, thinking she’d just do it like a watch report. 

When Juliet had asked Glimmer what she needed to do she’d told Juliet to just report on anything Juliet thought Glimmer would need to know and to be a go between for the two kingdoms. Juliet sat there and tapped her pen against the paper trying to think of what to put in. She’d sat in at the last council of sorcerers and they’d spent most of the time arguing about some arcane detail about maintenance of the hot springs. The rest of the meeting had been basic business matters about the kingdom and a brief formal introduction of Juliet. Juliet fiddled around a little trying to decide if it was worth putting any of it in and then realized she didn’t have anything else so she shrugged and put it all in. She sealed it up in an envelope and set it on her desk to take out for delivery later that day.

_ Well, now I just need to find something to do for the next week, _ Juliet thought. 

She sat at the desk and stared out the window for a little while and felt restless. She had what she wanted, she loved Castaspella and she was happy to be there with her but she still felt adrift. Juliet grabbed her latest journal of poetry and spent a little time writing in it before she felt restless and closed it. She tidied her desk, which took about one minute, and then finally stood and went walking through the suite. She tried to make changes to the rooms but the most she managed was to move some pillows around or to pull a chair over a bit. Juliet found herself pacing back and forth in the main room trying to think of something to do when Castaspella walked in from her office. 

“Oh! You look pensive,” Castaspella said. 

“I feel, I don’t know, confined,” Juliet said. “I’ve written my liaison report, set up my desk, written a little poetry, and now I’ve spent the last couple of hours going room to room, over and over, trying to decorate but not really doing anything.” 

Castaspella came up and gave her a hug and kissed her on the forehead. 

“You don’t have to stay in, you know. You can wander all around Mystacor if you want, you don’t have to have me along. The forest nearby is beautiful as well,” Castaspella said.

“I know, I know. Ugh! It’s silly! I know it’s because I don’t have demands on my time like I’m used to and I should be happy for it but it’s frustrating,” Juliet said. 

Castaspella caressed Juliet’s face and said, “Dearest, would it help if I gave you something to do?”

Juliet shrugged and said, “Maybe but I really need to get myself together.”

“You are together, you’re just in unfamiliar territory. Both of us are. How about this? You said you liked to run. Go get your training clothes and go for a run. I’ll have dinner ready when you get home,” Castaspella said. 

Juliet sighed and said, “I guess it’s better than pacing around the place. Alright.” 

They had a quick kiss and Juliet was soon slowly jogging through the corridors of Mystacor as she warmed up. Even that felt weird as she rarely had run alone back at Bright Moon. As she ran past the various statues of the sorcerers, she slowed down to give the side eye to the statue of Light Spinner. Castaspella had shown her all of the statues, and been able to name them all, when they’d first arrived together and Juliet still wondered why they kept that statue up. She finally came out into the gardens and started running in earnest. 

Various groups of people watched as she flowed along the paths, dodging around groups and moving quickly as she picked where she was going to go next from moment to moment. Everyone knew who she was but still found it odd to see her moving so quickly in a place that moved at a slow pace and was known for its contemplative nature. If someone had told Juliet to slow down and take a moment to contemplate she’d have simply said that for her, the running was contemplative, and then continued to run along. 

After a time, she found herself out on the beach and looked up at the window where her desk looked out. She had slowed down and was cooling off now and while she felt better, she could feel the creeping feeling of ennui starting to drift back in. She knew she had to get some kind of new routine established but she didn't know what that was going to look like. None of this feeling was really new to her though, it was just stronger now, as after the war had ended she’d found herself already starting to have the issue of what to do with herself. 

She remembered after the parties that marked the end of the occupation she’d wondered what she would do. There were no more big war planning meetings and Bright Moon hadn’t needed as many guards either so her role in keeping the guard corps up and running had been diminished there as well as some of the guards moved on to other things. She’d found some purpose again when the Best Friends Squad had gotten ready to go out on their road trip and she’d been one of the people who’d dived deep into the logistics of outfitting them for what was supposed to have been a multi-month journey but after they’d left she’d felt things starting to drift again. 

Even dealing with ex-Horde members showing up for the amnesty hadn’t kept her busy as none of them had ever wanted any trouble and usually just ended up joining the nearest Hordie squad and moving on. For a brief moment Juliet felt useful again when Hordak had come to Bright Moon to help in the rescue effort for Angella and she’d gone back into full watchful general mode but nothing had come of it. Whatever he’d been during the war, all she saw was just a grumpy guy who’d spent most of his time holed up with Princess Entrapta talking about tech and science that was completely over the heads of pretty much everyone on the planet. 

Now she lived with a woman she loved, in a beautiful apartment, in a beautiful town, with an easy job, and all the time she could ever want and she didn’t know what to do with herself. She kicked at the ground a little as she walked and watched the clouds wash against the ground. Juliet felt silly for even feeling conflict about this. If someone had told her even a year ago that she’d be living in a world of peace, that she would no longer be bound to regulations and long hours of work, and that she would be in a wonderful relationship but that she was going to be unhappy she’d have laughed in their face and yet, that was exactly where she was now. 

Juliet finally made her way back to the apartment and walked in to a wonderful smelling dinner cooking and Castaspella laying out plates in a little dining nook off the kitchen. She smiled at Castaspella and Castaspella smiled back and said, “It’ll be all done in about fifteen minutes. Did you have a good run?” 

“I did, although I think I’m a bit confusing to people around here. You also have impeccable timing it would seem to be getting dinner ready right before I got back. You didn’t cast a little spell on me to keep track of where I was did you?” Juliet said a little teasingly. 

Castaspella frowned a little and said, “I would never violate someone's privacy like that, especially yours.” 

Juliet realized she’d accidentally implied something that offended Castaspella and raised her hands and said, “I’m sorry, I apologize, I should have thought that through more.” 

“It’s alright, it’s just that kind of thing is something I take seriously. Magic gives you a lot of abilities to do things that are questionable at best and we try and instill a sense of responsibility as best we can when we teach it,” Castaspella said. Then thinking of some past sorcerers, in fact one in particular, she said, “Of course, it doesn’t  _ always _ work out.” 

Juliet stepped forward and said, “I’ll remember next time, no jokes about magic like that. I’m going to go get cleaned up now and be right back. Kiss?” 

Castaspella gave her a kiss and Juliet went off to get changed. She came back to the meal sitting out and the two sat down and chatted. After dinner they spent the evening relaxing, drinking tea, and occasionally feeding the other a little confection. The next few days passed and Juliet tried to get into a routine of some kind. She wrote some poetry in the morning, she made them both lunch, then went for a long run in the afternoon, and then back to dinner that one or the other would make. Evenings were spent lounging around together on a large, wide couch they’d found that they both could lay back on comfortably and drink their evening tea and eat confections and quietly talk while Castaspella would work on her latest craft project. 

One afternoon, Castaspella walked out into the main room and saw Juliet leaning against her desk with her back to the room. Castaspella walked around the screen and said, “Beautiful, you’re back from your run early.” 

Juliet jumped a little. She’d been looking at her helmet on the shelf and had been lost in memories. 

“I, uh, I never left for it,” Juliet said. “I stayed here and tried to write up my next liaison report but I didn’t really have anything to say. Then I got to thinking about how everything for me has changed and, well, I don’t know, I guess I’m not coping with it very well.” 

Castaspella stepped forward and took her hand and said quietly, “Are you regretting giving up your position?” 

Juliet looked at her and said, “I am actually. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t regret you, I don’t regret what we have at all but yes, I do.”

Castaspella stood there in silence for a moment and then said, “You know you could probably go back and Glimmer would let you have your position back. I’d come visit as much as I could.”

Juliet could hear how much it hurt her to say that and felt terrible for having said what she’d said but it had been the truth and she didn’t want to lie to Castaspella. 

She turned to Castaspella and cupped the side of her face and said, “Enchantress, I’m not going to leave. I’m simply speaking what I’m feeling and I’m dealing with being conflicted. I miss my guard and the routine. I miss the familiarity of it but I love you and I know it’s something I have to let go so I can have what I want and have here.” 

“But you’re having an issue letting go,” Castaspella said. 

Juliet nodded but sat silently otherwise. 

“What can I do to help?” Castaspella said. 

“I’m honestly not sure,” Juliet said. 

“I’d say you could form a guard corps here but I don’t think that’d help,” Castaspella said. 

Juliet gave her a serious look and said, “Not to mention that I still work for Bright Moon, even if the position is pretty much just for our benefit. Taking a second position with Mystacor isn’t proper.”

Castaspella kissed her hand and said, “And your dedication to your duty is one of the things I love about you so I understand.”

Juliet snorted and said, “Besides I have a feeling that any threat Mystacor would face is something that I wouldn’t be able to deal with since I can’t do magic.” 

Castaspella pulled her close and kissed her and then said, “That was pretty magical right there.” 

Juliet grinned and said, “You’re the professional so I’ll bow to your superior judgement on the matter.” 

Castaspella said, “Very wise of you my general. Now, I’m pretty much done for the day. Would you like to go and visit the hot springs with me?” 

“Sounds delightful,” Juliet said. As they both spent the evening relaxing around the hot springs Juliet was thinking of something and slowly an idea began to form in her head. The next day she went around Mystacor asking a few questions of a few people and then settled down to her next task and her new routine. 

Castaspella noticed that Juliet was out of the apartment earlier than normal but back around dinner and brought it up a few times. Juliet would just smile and say that she was working on a new routine and she wasn’t sure if she was set into it yet and so didn’t want to mention it just yet. 

“And there’s a surprise in it so I don’t want to tell you what it is  _ just _ yet,” Juliet would say with a little wink. 

One evening as they were sprawled out on the couch, after Juliet had said it yet again, Castaspella finally said, “You know, I’m not sure I love surprises.” 

Juliet laughed and said, “Yes you do. You’re always thrilled when I’d surprise you with a gift. You just don’t like the  _ wait _ for the surprise.” 

Castaspella sighed and said, “Well fine but how much longer am I going to have to wait for it?”

Juliet grinned at her and said, “If I told you, then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise now would it?”

Castaspella gave her a look and said, “You know, that’s just a bit infuriating. I love you but right now, I’m not too thrilled with you.”

Juliet pulled her close and said, “Liar.”

Castaspella gave her a quick kiss and said, “Possibly.” 

Then one day, not long after, a messenger came to Castaspella’s office and told her that she was needed out in the gardens and could she please come as quickly as possible. Castaspella hurried out of the apartment, as the messenger seemed urgent, and when she got to the wide expansive lawn in part of the gardens saw that many of the residents of Mystacor were standing around a group of four people dressed in simple clothes but holding polearms. 

To no one in particular, Castaspella said, “Are those Bright Moon halberds!?” 

Juliet came up behind her and said, “Surprise, my enchantress.” 

Castaspella turned around and then gasped as she saw Juliet bowing a little and holding her hand out in front of her with a simple illusion of a flower nestled in the palm of her hand. 

Castaspella gasped and said, “Juliet, are  _ you _ doing that?” 

Juliet grinned and said, “I am. I’d hand it to you but I’m having a hard enough time keeping it together just sitting in my hand.” 

She straightened up and the illusion dissipated as she said, “But that’s only one part of the surprise. The other is this.” 

Castaspella noticed that Juliet was dressed like the other four, who Castaspella was beginning to recognize as other sorcerers, and Juliet went walking forward. As she approached the group, Castaspella noticed that her walking changed into what could only be called marching and she seemed to become just a bit taller. She leaned down and picked up one of the weapons off the ground and made a slow sweeping motion around her. Everyone suddenly was further back as Juliet stood facing the four and then nodded. 

The four began to move out away from each other in a slow synchronized motion, each taking a moment to strike the ground with their weapon every other step, until they were the edges of a box with an expanse of ground inside of it. They continued the slow strike on the ground as Juliet carefully and deliberately marched into the center and then turned to face Castaspella. 

Castaspella noticed that Juliet’s face was composed and serious, the one she’d seen on her during countless war councils, and then suddenly Juliet winked at Castaspella and then turned into a blur of motion. She moved through the square, twirling her weapon, striking at invisible opponents, and making elaborate sweeping motions, almost like a dance. Behind her trailed a shadow figure in pale blue, mimicking her every motion. After a few minutes, Juliet returned to the center and the shadow figure disappeared as one of the people standing on the corner slowly began to march towards the center. 

Juliet nodded at her as she came out and took her place next to Juliet and there was a brief pause before suddenly the two burst into motion. Again, they twirled through the square, moving together and the shadow figure was back, behind each of them this time in a pale orange to match the pale blue of the other. They repeated the whole dance Juliet had done and then again returned to the center where once again one of the corners came out to meet the other two and they repeated the dance. They continued until it was all five of them, with five shadow figures behind mimicking them, and Castaspella was enthralled at the synchronized movement of the whole thing. 

The five finally came to rest in the center, slowly striking their weapons on the ground, four of them facing away from each other in a smaller square, staring towards the crowd, with Juliet in the center staring at no one but Castaspella. Then they all went still and slowly bowed towards the assembled crowd with Juliet once again bowing towards Castaspella and carefully conjuring up the flower again to offer out to her. They held it for a moment and then the crowd started to cheer and they all straightened up with smiles and laughter. 

Castaspella came running forward and caught Juliet up in an embrace and said, “That was wonderful! And you! You learned magic! When did you learn magic!?” 

Juliet laughed, waved at her four companions who were all excitedly chatting with the crowd, and said, “They taught me! I don’t really have talent for it I think, they had to do the illusions for the dance, but I can do the flower. As to the rest, I got the idea after you made a comment about forming a Mystacor guard corps. Well, I didn’t do that but what I have done is form a group for, I don’t know, dancing? I don’t really have a name for it but we used to mess around a little like this back in the corps at Bright Moon. I figure we can build a group of people who want to do it and that’ll be my new routine.” 

Castaspella gave her a kiss and said, “Well you never cease to amaze me my love.” 

“And I hope I never do,” Juliet said as she gave her a kiss back. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> It's good to get back into The Lyrical Anthology and especially this ship. I wanted to make this more of a misunderstanding with an argument in it then it ended up being but honestly, I can't see these two having an argument over some little misunderstanding. They're both able to communicate pretty well I think and so that won't be what would cause issues. I also don't foresee Juliet becoming much of a magic user but I love the idea that she's going to work on just a bit of illusion to be able to surprise Casta occasionally. 
> 
> The lyric from this comes from Various Storms and Saints by Florence and the Machine. I had originally planned for both of them be involved in the dance but then I decided, nope, it needs to be just Juliet as a surprise for Casta.


End file.
